Tag Archives: vintage postcards

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Born in Greene County, Pennsylvania in 1902, Donald was the youngest son, youngest grandson and youngest cousin of the Francis Marion and Mary Jane Gwynn Minor clan. His parents, Robert and May Stephenson Minor, sent cards from their travels; his older sister, Helen, sent cards while she was attending school in nearby Waynesburg; aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends sent photocards and holiday greetings from all over the United States with great regularity. The resulting Postcard Collection is both a family puzzle and a cultural window to the world of Donald Minor during the first decade of the twentieth century. Today’s card comes from the Christmas Collection.

These American Robins are perched in a shrub, heads turned to some sound – perhaps someone is throwing out a pan of bread crumbs. Helen Minor, age 17, sent this flock to her eight year old brother, Donald, in 1910.

Dear Brother, How many sleigh rides have you had? Do you slide down hill and skate at school? I am busy getting read (sic) for examinations now. Will be through next Wednesday at noon. So will be home Wed. evening if nothing happens.

My mother recently recalled that her grandmother, May Laura Stephenson Minor, had been a great one to write; folks loved receiving her cards. Her son, Donald C. Minor, was just a young boy when relatives and friends started sending their seasonal greetings, which were collected and carefully stored – probably by his card-loving mom.

Ethel of Morgantown, West Virginia, sent Donald this happy Christmas Greeting. The smiling girl sits astride her stick horse which is all decked out with sleigh bells; a ball and a book lie on the ground behind her.

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Dear Donald, I want Santy to bring you lots of pretty things. I hope your mama is better so you can all have a Merry Xmas. Ethel

No postmark exists to date this lovely card, but it was found among my grandfather’s postcards, collected between the years 1906-1910, when Donald C. Minor was just a small boy in Greene County, Pennsylvania. This beautiful specimen from the International Publishing Company was printed in Germany in that time-frame. I love the way artists of this era gave dimension to a small, penny card. The holly leaves and berries are embossed; the pealing church bells are embossed and painted a shimmering gold; the frame is heavily embossed and painted with the same shimmer. Inside that circle of gold are more symbols of comfort and joy – a windmill with its soothing rhythm and a drifting white feather with its promise of an angel’s care.

Like this:

This beautiful German postcard was published by Paul Finkenrath of Berlin around 1909. The card was sent to my grandfather, Donald C. Minor, in Garard’s Fort, Pennsylvania by a Jesse Blaker with the message: I see by the paper that you haven’t missed any school, that is doing fine.

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I am a keeper of my family's lore, chasing after my ancestors' tales in south central New York, southwestern Pennsylvania and Southside Virginia. The stories and photographs that I share on this blog are my intellectual property. While I do my very best to provide well researched posts, I do not pretend to have reached genealogical proof standards. Therefore, much of this work is to generate conversation among interested parties. If you would like to share my work or my records, please contact me: dkaysdays (at) gmail (dot) com.